The Spunkster
At one point in this conversation,stunt biker Lance Russell takes his shirt off to show a long scar that runs from one shoulder to another.
Talk goes behind the scenes at the Kingdom of Stunts and discovers that from bikers to fire-breathing ‘Fuel Girls’,everyone is a risk-manic
At one point in this conversation,stunt biker Lance Russell takes his shirt off to show a long scar that runs from one shoulder to another. “Do a stunt wrong and this is what happens. You go into rehab for four months. This happened when a back flip went awry at a show in Australia,” he says with a bashful grin. Russell is part of a three-member team that is in Pune currently to participate in the ‘Kingdom of Stunts’,the first-ever event in the country featuring the best FMX (Freestyle MotoCross) and BMX (Bicycle MotoCross) bikers from US,Canada and Australia. These sportsmen have been defying all laws of physics and gravity to perform awe-inspiring stunts and flips at the ILS Law College grounds in the two-day event that concludes today.
The basic circuit designed for the event may not have the flash and panache of nitro circus events or even the X-games,but the adrenalin rush is the same. Clinton Moore,a Moto Cross rider and a X-games finalist who finished in the top four last year,says,“It is smaller circuits like these that really test our mental strength and endurance. Back home even in Australia,the small circuits are just like these. In fact,on smaller circuits you need to check a lot of things. Right from tuning the suspensions on the bike,to ensuring that the jetting (firing of the engine) sounds right,everything must be planned. Safety harnesses have to be put in place. You cannot just go on to the circuit and make leaps and jumps. The first thing that one has to do is walk around the circuit,get a feel of the place,the atmosphere,the people screaming and let it all sink in. Then we go in for the stunts.”
The question,that begs to be asked is whether sports like these have can find a firm foothold in India,considering that Freestyle Motocross and BMX sports in the country have yet to find the right kind of exposure. “It is a gradual process,” says Moore. “I mean,you go down to Australia and you know that the enthusiasm about sports there has taken a fall. It is a different story in North America as that is where FMX was born. But India needs to get more exposure and events like these will actually go a long way to do so.”
Eeshan Lokhande one of the organisers for the event,does mention that India is still a long way away from achieving the kind of fame that these riders and performers have. “But all is not that bad. We have a group of riders from Pune who will be demonstrating street stunts too. All these will eventually get the ball rolling in the grander scheme of things.”
As bikers like Russell suit up and rev their 250cc Honda CRFs and other bikes,three chirpy girls gear up at the other end for a performance of their own. Calling themselves ‘The Fuel Girls’,they bill themselves as cheerleaders for a rock show. Cherylo Rourke,Susie Ward and and Tetamaria Stone from the UK come from varied backgrounds,but are united by a common passion – entertaining through fire stunts. “It could be breathing fire,or getting pulled around the circuit in a dune buggy,we would do it all. No questions asked,” declares Ward. While a lot of work does go into getting the bikes right for these events,what kind of preparations do the girls make? “Nothing much really. Probably have a couple of drinks before you go out with the fire sticks and the Paraffin oil. It just helps out get into the groove. We like to think of ourselves as cheerleaders,sans the pompoms and the girly make-up. But the hazards that we encounter are as scary as the ones the guys have while performing their stunts. I managed to break my skull,when an biker landed his bike on my head,” says Ward.
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